Preheat the oven to 350 º. Take out an oven safe skillet.
Wash and then peel the potatoes. Cut them into 1/2 " dice and then dry the potato cubes with a paper towel. They won't fry well if they are still wet. Set the potatoes aside. Peel a medium size onion and cut it in half. Save one half for another time. Dice up green scallion or onion stems and set it aside. Peel a clove of garlic and slice or cut in two. Sautee in oil or butter to infuse with garlic flavor. Then remove garlic.. Cut up the bacon slices and set them aside. Shred the herbs.
Break the eggs into a small bowl. Add the milk, salt, and pepper. Add dash of hot sauce, if using. With a fork, lightly beat the eggs until they are combined. Set aside the bowl.
Place the skillet on medium high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Heat the oil until hot and shimmering. Throw in the bacon, diced onion stems and stir it around until the bacon browns and renders its fat and the onion stems soften and become slightly translucent. Remove the browned bacon mixture to a bowl.
If the skillet has burned bits on the bottom, quickly wash it out. Return it to the stove, add 2 tbsp of oil and heat again on medium high until the oil is shimmering.Add the dried potato cubes in a single layer and let them brown without turning for 3 minutes. Check to see if the underside is golden and crusty.
When all the potatoes have a nice crust on the bottom, with a wide spatula, turn them and brown the other side.Then remove them and drain them on a paper towel.
Meantime, add 2 - 3 tbsp of butter to the skillet, reduce heat to medium, and let the butter start foaming. Make sure the entire bottom of the pan is covered with foaming butter. Add in the potatoes, bacon, onion-garlic mix and finally the beaten eggs. Also add the shredded herbs, if using them. Don't stir. Let it cook for several minutes.
You will see the edges of the frittata start pulling away from the sides of the pan and not stick. Lovely. That is what you want. Don't touch it. When sides are slightly puffed, but the middle is still semi- liquid, using an oven-mitt, grab the handle of the skillet and place it in the preheated oven. Let it cook for 5 - 10 minutes.
Slide out the oven rack and sprinkle the top of the skillet with both cheeses. Slide it back in and bake until the frittata looks golden, puffed and no longer liquid in the center. (3 - 5 minutes) Take it out of the oven and place it on a rack. By now, it smells heavenly, the cheese looks crusty and melted,and when you cut into it you can see the fried potatoes and bacon chunks.
Slide the frittata onto a plate, cut it into wedges and serve it right away with a crisp green salad and a lovely glass of iced green tea with lemon. And now I am going to heat up a piece from the frittata I made this morning and bask in the divineness of this Italian egg dish.
